ALEX SALMOND lurched between disasters yesterday when two of his backbenchers resigned and he was branded a “barefaced liar” by Labour.

Highland MSPs Jean Urquhart and John Finnie stood down in protest at the decision to end the SNP’s long-standing opposition to NATO.

And the First Minister faced unprecedented personal criticism from Labour after the Government admitted they have not sought legal advice on whether an independent Scotland would automatically become a member of the European Union.

Asked in a BBC interview in March whether he’d requested guidance on the issue, the First Minister replied: “We have, yes, in terms of the debate.”

Yesterday, he claimed he’d been speaking in general terms about previously published Government documents and denied lying.

But Labour MSPs described the day as a “Scomnishambles” – a play on words on the “omnishambles” budget that humiliated the Con-Dem Government at Westminster.

Glasgow Springburn MSP Paul Martin said: “It appears the First Minister is a liar and used taxpayers’ money to try to cover up his lies.”

Salmond called for Martin to retract the accusation.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon then told MSPs the Government have not been given any advice on the matter – but are now seeking it.

The day began with the resignations – in the wake of SNP members voting to overturn the decade-long ban on NATO membership at the party conference last Friday.

Former police officer Finnie, who joined the SNP as a 16-year-old, insisted: “I can’t continue to belong to a party that quite rightly doesn’t wish to hold nuclear weapons on its soil but wants to join a first-strike nuclear alliance.

“Although I envisage I’ll continue to share common ground with the SNP on many issues, I can’t in good conscience continue to take the party whip.”

Urquhart, who has been a supporter of independence for 25 years, said: “Nuclear disarmament and removing Trident from Scotland’s waters is a red line issue for me.

“I couldn’t remain committed to a party that has committed itself to retaining membership of NATO.”

Urquhart and Finnie will now sit as independent MSPs.

John Finnie MSP

The rebellion marks the first significant revolt against Salmond’s leadership since he took the SNP to power at Holyrood in 2007.

The resignations leave the SNP with 65 MSPs, which still gives the party a majority of one in the Scottish Parliament.

Salmond said last night he was “saddened” the pair had opted to quit.

He added: “They’ve been excellent servants to the SNP and I’m grateful to them for their tireless efforts.

“Both have indicated they will continue to support the Government from the backbenches.”

Opposition parties at Holyrood reacted with glee to the resignations.

Labour’s Richard Baker said: “It was a three-part ‘Scomnishambles’.

“It started with the deep splits in the SNP over their NATO policy being underlined with the resignation of two of their MSPs.

“Then there was the publication of the Scottish Government’s long delayed consultation on the referendum – 165 days after it was completed and crucially only published after Alex Salmond had done a deal with David Cameron on the referendum.

“Then his deputy reveals the First Minister had lied about whether or not he had legal advice on whether a separate Scotland could join the European Union.”

Tory leader Ruth Davidson added: “This is conduct unbecoming of a First Minister and his Government. It exposes the depths they’ll sink to realise their independence dream.”

Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: “For months, the First Minister has asserted that an independent Scotland would be a continuing, rather a new, member of the European Union.

“The Deputy First Minister has now embarrassingly admitted she had no advice. Everything the SNP has asserted has been blown apart by fact.”